Basílica de Santa María la Real de Covadonga

Historia

Basílica de Santa María la Real de Covadonga is a Catholic church located in Covadonga, Cangas de Onís, Asturias, Spain, that was designated as basilica on September 11, 1901.The temple was designed by the German architect Roberto Frassinelli and built between 1877 and 1901 by architect Federico Aparici y Soriano. It is a Neo-Romanesque church made entirely of pink limestone.HistoryIn 1777 a fire destroyed the old temple, which stood adjacent to the Holy Cave where Our Lady of Covadonga is revered. It was then decided to raise a new church as a monumental sanctuary, raising donations from all of Spain; the plan was opposed the local council, as the canons wanted to rebuild the temple of the Holy Cave and build an ambitious sanctuary that had once been designed by Ventura Rodríguez, but never completed.One century later, the project is resumed by King Alfonso XII of Spain, who was interested in completing this work. The classic design of Ventura Rodríguez was very difficult and expensive and was replaced by a new neo-Medieval design.This new project was devised by Roberto Frassinelli, known as The German of Corao, who was more an artist than architect, and was replaced by Federico Aparici y Soriano, who studied at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando. Despite this decision, Frassinelli could direct the works.